Sample: Month-end close for a bookkeeping clientSample

The checks we run before a client's month is called closed. If any of these fail, the month is not closed.

1. Reconcile every bank and card account to zero

Bookkeeper · 40 min · Tools: Xero

Every account, to the cent, against the statement — not against the feed. Feeds drop transactions silently and you will not notice until a client asks why their profit moved.

2. Clear the suspense and unallocated accounts

Bookkeeper · 30 min · Tools: Xero

Suspense should be empty at month-end. Anything you genuinely cannot code goes on the client query list with a plain-English question — never a guess.

Warning: A guessed account code is worse than an open query. It looks resolved, so nobody ever revisits it.

3. Check GST coding on anything unusual

Bookkeeper · 20 min · Tools: Xero

Scan for the usual suspects: international subscriptions, insurance, government charges, entertainment, and anything over $1,000 that is coded to a new account.

• No GST on GST-free purchases
• Capital items not expensed
• Entertainment coded correctly

4. Reconcile payroll to the ledger

Bookkeeper · 25 min · Tools: SPM Payroll, Xero

Wages, PAYG withheld and super in the ledger should match what was actually reported through STP for the month. A mismatch here is the single most common cause of a messy year-end.

5. Send the client query list

Bookkeeper · 15 min

One consolidated list, in plain English, with a deadline. Not a drip of five separate emails across the week.

6. Lock the period and note the close

Bookkeeper · 5 min · Tools: Xero

Set the lock date and record the close on the client record so the next person knows where the line is.